Mavericks Sign Defensemen Stephenson and Hayes

Independence, Missouri - The Missouri Mavericks announced Tuesday the Central Hockey League (CHL) team has signed defensemen Matt Stephenson and Colten Hayes for the 2013-14 season. The Mavericks are currently at 12 players signed to their pre-season roster.

The last two seasons, Stephenson, 29 (3/3/84), played in England for the Sheffield Steelers. He finished the two seasons with 75 total points (14-61=75) in 120 games played. Prior to England, Stephenson spent the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL) totaling 104 games.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound defensemen spent the majority of the 2008-09 season in Boise with the Idaho Steelheads where he amassed 27 points (5-22=37) in 53 games before he was called up to the Providence Bruins (AHL). Stephenson had two assists in 17 games with the Bruins. Prior to turning professional, Stephenson spent four years at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. He finished his college career with 51 points (7-44=51) in 141 games.

"Stephenson and Hayes are two great additions to our blue line. They bring a significant amount of grit and make us a tougher team to play against in our zone," Hillman said. "Stephenson has a great deal of AHL experience and will be an instant leader in our locker room, as he has some familiarity with a number of players in our line-up. Hayes is a very solid young defenseman that we are very excited to have back in our line-up after his stint with us last season."

Last season, Hayes, 23 (1/31/90), played 10 games for the Fort Wayne Komets in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) prior to coming to the Mavericks. He totaled 9 points (1-8=9) in 18 games as a Maverick before finishing the season with the Stockton Thunder in the ECHL. In Stockton, Hayes tallied 8 points (2-6=8) in the last 33 games of the season.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound defenseman played in a total of 48 games in the ECHL for the 2010-11 season, 39 with the Stockton Thunder and nine with the Reading Royals. He finished with 23 points (3-20=23) and 90 penalty minutes. 21 of his 23 points came with Stockton where he finished third on the team in scoring among defensemen. This season, the Maple Ridge, British Columbia native has played in 10 games with the ECHL's Fort Wayne Komets and has 48 penalty minutes.

The Missouri Mavericks will host their fourth annual Fan Fest on Sat., Sept. 21 at Independence Events Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Mavericks will begin their fifth season of play in the CHL in October. Season tickets are on sale now. With season tickets starting at just over $11 per game and FREE parking, the Mavericks are the pinnacle of family affordable entertainment.